A San Francisco firefighter climbs on a fire escape as others work on a structure fire at 111 Taylor St. on Thursday. The building is a halfway house for parolees.

A San Francisco firefighter climbs on a fire escape as others work on a structure fire at 111 Taylor St. on Thursday. The building is a halfway house for parolees.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Image 2 of 3

A pedestrian crossed the street near Duboce and Church Streets in San Francisco, Calif., just as a train had passed. Violations found in the MUNI light rail system are among the worst train violations in the state, says the Public Utilities Commission Monday February 28, 2011. less

A pedestrian crossed the street near Duboce and Church Streets in San Francisco, Calif., just as a train had passed. Violations found in the MUNI light rail system are among the worst train violations in the ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Image 3 of 3

SF city overtime heads for $40 million over budget

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

San Francisco's overtime bill is on pace to run nearly $40 million over budget for this fiscal year, which is $12 million more than was spent last year.

The troubling trend caught the attention of city supervisors Thursday at a City Hall hearing on the spiraling overtime costs for city workers. The hearing ended with a call for more analysis of San Francisco's increasing reliance on overtime and whether other cities and counties have found good ways to control it.

Five city departments - transportation, fire, health, police and sheriff - account for almost 9 of every 10 overtime dollars spent. The city had budgeted just over $102 million for overtime this year. The overall city budget is $6.6 billion.

President Trump addresses nation after mass shooting at Florida SchoolWhite House

The Municipal Transportation Agency, the top overtime user, spent $45.6 million on overtime in the fiscal year that ended June 30, and this year is headed toward $51 million, unless the cost can be reined in quickly. Six years ago, the agency paid $33 million in overtime.

Extra transit operations and traffic control needed to handle crowds attending the Giants post-season games at AT&T Park were among the reasons provided for the ballooning costs, along with the need for extra bus operators and traffic-control crews during a major construction project at St. Francis Circle. Terrie Williams, deputy budget director at the transportation agency, described those issues as anomalies.

Despite projections for higher overtime costs, the transportation agency has been spending less than planned for straight-time salaries and won't have to come up with more money overall to cover those extra costs.

The other agency that got a lot of scrutiny at the hearing was the Fire Department, which has intentionally relied on overtime to staff its stations and is on track to spend about $6 million more on overtime than last year, which is also about $6 million more than budgeted for this year.

Paying firefighters time and half has been cheaper than hiring more firefighters, when health and pension benefits are factored in, said Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White. There now are 1,403 uniformed personnel in the SFFD, down 369 from six years ago. "That's the justification about why you see overtime going up," she said.

Campos and Supervisors David Chiu and Mark Farrell signaled that the overtime issue could lead to proposals to reform firefighter pay and scheduling as they look to balance next year's budget. The regular work week for firefighters, at 48.7 hours, is the lowest in the state, and their salary is about a third higher than their counterparts, when pay and benefits are included, Chiu noted.

The pay rate is set through collective bargaining; the hours are in the City Charter and can be changed only by voters - a challenge given the firefighters union's political clout.